More than 1,500 migrants, mostly Moroccans and some Algerians, have swum into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta over the past week, overwhelming the territory's reception capacity. The arrivals have averaged about 200 entries per day, with some days exceeding that figure.
Ceuta's temporary migrant center, designed for 512 residents, now holds more than 700 people, while hundreds sleep outside its gates. Unaccompanied minors under local guardianship have surged to 430, pushing youth facilities to 1,600 percent of capacity. At least 27 people have died attempting the crossing this year.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska called it an extraordinary, exceptional situation while praising Moroccan cooperation. Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas declared a humanitarian and social emergency and demanded urgent immigration law reform after a Supreme Court ruling barred immediate pushbacks without due process.